DION THE WANDERER HOW TO

HeвЂ™s sounding like Thelonious Monk at one point, then John Coltrane, then Miles Davis. There are three solos on вЂњBlues CominвЂ™ OnвЂќ and theyвЂ™re almost like horns. I think he hears the arrangement coming at him and he knows when youвЂ™re going to land or if you do a syncopated note. I can play guitar well and I can write songs, but Joe is an ensemble player. I could make a great record but I would never get someone to play like that. Getting someone so masterful, a mesmerizing and distinctive player, to infuse his vision of what he hears on a song made me realize how limited I am. I thought this is insane, this is wild, because I never experienced anything like that, you know. вЂњWhen Joe Bonamassa played on вЂњBlues CominвЂ™ OnвЂќ he just took it to another level. Brian Setzer drove the train with his red hot whammy-bar guitar. They take the train and the train has a number and a direction. ItвЂ™s classic stuff, so I put it all on a train because thatвЂ™s what New Yorkers do if they want to get anywhere. вЂњI wanted this one to be about moving forward in the spiritual life, having a goal, facing temptations along the way. вЂњWith вЂњUptown Number 7вЂќ I wanted to write an old-fashioned Gospel number in the style of the Golden Gate Quartet,вЂќ Dion begins. His contribution inspired Dion to ask others to play on the album so he sent out invitations to friends like Paul Simon, Steve Van Zandt and Brian Setzer of The Stray Cats, who all hopped on board the train and, in SetzerвЂ™s case, it was the вЂњUptown Number 7вЂќ. Virtuoso guitarist Joe Bonamassa was the catalyst for the album as he immediately wanted to play on the song вЂњBlues CominвЂ™ OnвЂќ when Dion ran it by him. If you catch me thinking on this album IвЂ™ll pay you a grand because IвЂ™m in it and IвЂ™m doing it. The song вЂњStumbling BluesвЂќ has some different chord structures but itвЂ™s still so natural to sing with. ItвЂ™s like a natural kind of form and you donвЂ™t have to think. The blues is kind of like a simple form in which you can express your joys, your fears, your longings or whatever you want to sing about. I heard them in 1961 after I had a lot of hits, and then I got more into it. I hadnвЂ™t heard the masters yet, you know, like Lightning Hopkins or Robert Johnson. вЂњEven my early songs like вЂњThe WandererвЂќ and вЂњDrip DropвЂќ were all blues songs,вЂќ he continues. If it wasnвЂ™t for Jimmy Reed I probably wouldnвЂ™t be here talking to you.вЂќ And then, of course, I loved listening to Jimmy Reed. When I started going to the Apollo Theatre as a young kid and hearing horn players like Big Al Sears and King Curtis, IвЂ™d go crazy and IвЂ™d be singing on the train going home like I thought I was a saxophone. My father used to play Al Jolson and Louis Prima, who was a great rhythm singer. Although there are special guests on every song, it remains DionвЂ™s album throughout and he says that the blues has always permeated his work.

Dion offers a wide variety of blues sounds on the record from the harp-driven вЂњMy Baby Loves To BoogieвЂќ, courtesy of John Hammond, to the swampy вЂњI Got the CureвЂќ featuring the fiery slide guitar of Sonny Landreth to the classic blues progression of вЂњStumbling BluesвЂќ.

вЂњBlues With FriendsвЂќ currently sits at #1 on the Billboard, iTunes and U.K.

DION THE WANDERER HOW TO

Bob Dylan said I know how to craft a song? Oh my God, IвЂ™ll take it.вЂќ Oh man, I was walking on air for a couple of weeks after he said that.

I sent him the album to see what he thought of it and he listened to it and loved it. вЂњBob is the greatest writer of the 20 th century and beyond, but a lot of people donвЂ™t know that heвЂ™s also a great blues singer. вЂњWhen I finished the whole thing I thought I didnвЂ™t have any songs left so I should get someone who knows something about the blues to write something,вЂќ says Dion, the quintessential New Yorker whoвЂ™s calling from his Florida digs. Beyond his unmistakable voice is the fact that he was and still is a great songwriter, as the 14 stellar nuggets he crafted for the new album will attest to. When Dion ventured out as a solo artist success followed him as he had a string of number one hits including вЂњThe WandererвЂќ, вЂњRuby BabyвЂќ and вЂњRunaround SueвЂќ. Most folks are familiar with DionвЂ™s early hits with his group The Belmonts, as they created some of the most exciting and vital doo-wop music with chart-toppers like вЂњTeenager In LoveвЂќ and вЂњI Wonder WhyвЂќ. вЂњDion DiMucci knows how to sing and he knows just the right way to craft these songs, these blues songs.вЂќ This quote is taken from the liner notes of DionвЂ™s terrific new album вЂњBlues With FriendsвЂќ and, as endorsements go, you couldnвЂ™t get a better one as the sentiment comes from none other than Bob Dylan.

Dion the wanderer